Lists

Picture of a movie: Ghost in the Shell
Picture of a movie: Enjeru dasuto
Picture of a movie: Cure
Picture of a movie: Red Beard
Picture of a movie: Kagemusha
Picture of a movie: Kikujiro
Picture of a movie: Sonatine
Picture of a movie: rashômon
Picture of a movie: tokyo story
Picture of a movie: My Neighbor Totoro
Picture of a movie: Stray Dog
Picture of a movie: Spirited Away
Picture of a movie: Nobody Knows
Picture of a movie: Ran
Picture of a movie: Ringu
Picture of a movie: Ikiru

23 Movies

The Best of Japanese Cinema

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The best films that Japanese Cinema has to offer from directors such as Akira Kurosawa, Hayao Miyazaki and Hideo Nakata.

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Picture of a movie: The Lower Depths
movies

The Lower Depths

1957
In medieval Japan, aging Rokubei, his younger wife of four years Osugi and her uncle run a tenement complex at the bottom of a cliff, the complex which from the naked eye at the top of the cliff looks like nothing more than a rubbish heap. The tenants are a group of down-and-outers with some who operate on the far side of the law. Nonetheless, the tenants are close knit community in wallowing in their collective misery, those who care who know their lives will never get better as long as they stay there. The landlords have no compassion for the tenants, they mockingly only stating that the tenants will be given a favorable standing in a future life for any good deeds done around the tenement. The recent arrival of Kahei, a mysterious elderly man, affectionately referred to as Grandpa, who spins tales of the unknown, provides at least hope that there is a better life out there somewhere. Sutekichi, a thief who arguably is the leader among the tenants, and Osugi are carrying on an affair behind Rokubei's back. Although he has previously professed his love for her, the words were more an empty platitude. He begins to have feelings for Osugi's younger sister, Okaya, who works for her sister cleaning up the tenement under her watchful eye. Okaya does not know if she can trust the words of anyone who lives in the complex, while Osugi, who knows of Sutekichi feelings for Okaya, begins to have feelings of jealousy. Osugi and Sutekichi work toward their own goals at the expense of others within the complex.
Picture of a movie: Scandal
movies

Scandal

1950
Famous singer Miyako Saijo, who is publicity shy, and motorbiking artist Ichirô Aoye, who has minor celebrity, meet by chance in Kappazawa while Ichirô is on a painting expedition, and Miyako is on a retreat. As she has missed her bus to Kaminoyu and as Ichirô is heading there anyway, he offers her a ride to the resort where both of them are staying and which is largely empty as it is the off season. As he visits her in her room solely as a measure of friendship and camaraderie, they are unaware that a paparazzo working for scandal sheet Amour has taken a photograph of the two of them together on her balcony. Hori, Amour's publisher, decides to print the photograph along with an accompanying salacious story on what could have happened based on the photograph, but which is a total fabrication. Hori has done such before with other celebrities, never having been sued as he believes his subjects either like the publicity or are too busy or scared to take action. A libel suit he feels will only increase circulation. He is nonetheless surprised when Ichirô does sue, Ichirô's action regardless of what Miyako decides. Ichirô decides to hire as his lawyer Otokichi Hiruta, despite Hiruta coming across as an ambulance chaser and shyster. Ichirô makes this hiring decision after meeting Hiruta's bedridden daughter, Miyako, who suffers from tuberculosis and whose inherent goodness Ichirô believes cannot have come out of anywhere but her parents. The resulting case not only becomes about Ichirô and Miyako's rights and their belief that justice will and should prevail, but also about Hiruta whose person and soul will have to face the consequences of his own actions.